Bhubaneswar, 01 April (H.S.): The Budget Session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly concluded late Tuesday night, five days ahead of its scheduled end. The session, which was originally slated to continue until April 8, was adjourned with five working days remaining.

The session commenced on February 17 and was conducted in two phases, spanning a total of 22 sitting days. On February 20, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented the state budget for the financial year 2026–27.

On the final day, the Appropriation Bill was discussed and passed, authorizing government expenditure. However, the session was frequently disrupted by repeated adjournments due to protests by the Opposition.

During the first phase, Opposition members staged protests over alleged mismanagement in agricultural mandis, leading to significant disruptions in proceedings. In the second phase, the Opposition continued protests for nine consecutive days, demanding the resignation of the Health Minister over the SCB fire incident, further affecting normal functioning of the House.

On the concluding day, after nearly four hours of deliberation, the Odisha Government Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Bill was passed. Meanwhile, a bill proposing an increase in salaries of ministers and legislators, along with pensions for former MLAs, was withdrawn for reconsideration. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling stated that the decision was taken in view of objections raised by several members.

At the close of the session, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude to all members. Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik and Congress MLA Ashok Das also extended thanks on behalf of their respective parties.

Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House sine die at 12:41 AM, marking the end of the session.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda